Coral Welsh Grand National: Trip to Chepstow could be on the cards for Kim Bailey's Harry Topper

Harry Topper could well be heading to Chepstow next month (Image: Action Images / Julian Herbert)

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A trip to Chepstow for next month's Coral Welsh Grand National could be on the cards for Kim Bailey's Harry Topper.

The seven-year-old struggled on his seasonal reappearance at Haydock last Saturday, jockey Jason Maguire pulling up his charge in the Betfair Chase won in impressive fashion by Silviniaco Conti.

Bailey reported Harry Topper to be unsuited by the soft going with his next destination to be determined on conditions.

And that could well be Chepstow, Bailey targeting either the Monmouthshire course's show-piece or a trip across the Irish Sea to Leopardstown next time around.

"Harry Topper jumped off handy and jumped the first circuit very well, but the writing was on the wall early enough as he was struggling to keep up with the pace,” said Bailey, as he looked back on last weekend.

“A mistake at the open ditch meant he lost his position and was dropping back. Jason wisely pulled him up.

"Harry Topper is fine and a bit stiff after his race, but it does make me realise that for him to be at his very best in those sort of fields, then he has to have the worst of ground. The softer and slower the better.”